


Thinly Veiled

by StarshipHufflebadger



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Adorable, Amusement Park, Cute, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Soulmate AU, Soulmate Tattoos, Tattoos, rollercoaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 09:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13521195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarshipHufflebadger/pseuds/StarshipHufflebadger
Summary: Jim takes you out to an amusement park for fun and frolicking, with a pleasant discovery awaiting almost in plain sight.  (Female reader)





	Thinly Veiled

A shrill scream tears from your throat as you plummet at ungodly speeds towards the ground, the wind making your eyes water as you speed through the air. At the last second, you’re thrown upwards, shooting back towards the sky, and you can only gasp as you hurtle over the top of the hill, your stomach slamming around inside you as you briefly experience weightlessness before crashing back down on your seat again. There are whoops of joy and screams of terror around you, your own screams adding to cacophony of sound every time there’s a sudden drop or swerve. The cool wind smashing into your face makes your skin cold as you wonder with dread how this could possibly be considered safe, your knuckles white from the death grip you have on your restraints.

You swear this nightmare will never end as you careen around yet another sharp turn, your body whipping to the side and smashing against the car. Finally, after one last stomach-churning drop, the train slows to a crawl and pulls into the station, where many of the others cheer and whoop in delight. You feel somewhat shell shocked as Jim, in the seat next to you, elbows you while grinning enthusiastically.

“See?! Wasn’t that amazing?!” He bounces a little in his seat, clearly not noticing your pallor and lack of amusement. Your skin feels oddly loose as the car comes to a stop and the restraints lift, allowing you to climb shakily out of the train and onto the platform with the help of a staff member. Jim is still grinning and seems like he just had the time of his life as he leaps out of the train without assistance. He’s laughing and reaches for you, to put a hand on your shoulder, when he finally seems to register the shaken look on your face. His grin fades a bit and he begins to look worried.

“You didn’t like it?” he asks, and you can hear the note of disappointment in his voice.

“I’m pretty sure I aged ten years in the last two minutes,” you say by way of answer, flexing your fingers to get some feeling back into them after holding on so tightly, your voice weak. “That was absolutely terrifying.”

“But a good terrifying, right?” he asks, his grin back in place as the two of you exit the ride. You walk carefully down the ramp leading from the huge coaster, your legs still wobbly from the fear and weightlessness. 

“No, Jim, it was an I-was-pretty-sure-I-was-going-to-die kind of terrifying,” you tell him, putting a hand on his arm as he looks crestfallen. “Jim, I told you that coasters aren’t my thing. I know you’re an adrenaline junkie, but it just makes me shake,” you tell him, holding up your hands, which haven’t stopped trembling since the train had started ticking its way up the lift hill.

“Oh,” he says, and he looks torn between disappointment and concern. You feel a little bad for letting him down (though in truth he’s the one who had nagged and wheedled at you until you’d finally agreed to go on the damn thing), so you smile as he takes both of your hands in his, clearly trying to make them stop shaking. 

“Don’t worry. I don’t mind most of the regular rides. Can we just avoid the crazy coasters this time though?” You peer up at him pleadingly, and he softens after a moment and smiles.

“Of course. Come on, let’s get you something to drink, we can just chill until you feel better. Sorry for making you go on that one.” He drops one of your hands but keeps the other, and you start to wander over towards the concession stands together.

“Oh, it’s okay,” you say, feeling a little better with every step you take on the mercifully solid pavement beneath your feet. “At least I can tell people I did it! I bet my sister won’t even believe me, you might have to back me up.” He laughs and you smile, biting your lip slightly as a sensation of pleasure at making him laugh rolls over you. 

Your heart is still pounding, though you’re almost certain that it’s continued racing has more to do with the warm hand holding yours than the death coaster you’ve just vacated. You focus on the feeling of his fingers gently tapping over your knuckles as you walk, nearly tripping as a child zips by you at top speed – one you would have seen if your thoughts had been on where you were going. Jim steadies you as you stagger a little, your cheeks flushing pink, though he just chuckles slightly and spares you a comment.

He buys you a strawberry lemonade and you sip it gratefully, sitting down on a bench in the bright sunlight. You sit in an amiable silence for a few minutes, just watching the people going by, before he wipes his hand across his forehead and breaks the silence.

“Whew, hot one today, isn’t it?” he comments, fanning himself a little. You can see a fine sheen of sweat over his face and nod emphatically, completely understanding. The only thing good about the rollercoaster was that the wind had cooled you off considerably; when you weren’t moving a thousand kilometres an hour in the sun, it was almost unbearably hot. You are only wearing a tank top and a thin, white button up t-shirt on top (to prevent you from turning into a lobster in the sweltering sun) with shorts and sandals, but in this heat it feels akin to an insulating snowsuit. You offer him the last third of your lemonade, which he downs in a single big gulp. He tosses the container and holds out his hand again, which you take, your heart flip-flopping in your chest.

“Come on, let’s go on some rides, the breeze will feel good.” He pulls you along to the nearest ride, one that spins extremely fast but mercifully doesn’t go higher than ten feet and does not go upside down. You enjoy this ride considerably more than the coaster and scream with glee as the centrifugal force smashes Jim’s body sideways into yours and pins you between him and the side of the cart. He apologizes afterwards, worried he’s hurt you, but you just grin at him and bump him with your hip.

“Oh please, like I can’t handle a little compression. I survived Starfleet physical training, didn’t I?” You tone is teasing, and he laughs, his worries visibly melting away.

“Good point,” he says, and he takes your hand again and pulls you towards the next ride. 

You’re still having a bit of trouble processing that you’re here with him, and that this is your first date. After months of trying to convince yourself that you weren’t attracted to him, Jim had asked you out, breaking down the shoddily-built walls surrounding your feelings for him. You’d considered saying no, concerned about the implications of having a relationship with the captain of the ship, but his hopeful smile had won you over in the end. Considering how much fun you’re having, though, you are immeasurably grateful that you’d accepted his offer.

After several more thrill rides, you’re riding a bit of an adrenaline high as well, but you’re both still feeling the heat a little too much. Suddenly, you spot a ride a short distance away that might help. You tug on his hand to get his attention and then point at the ride, watching his face light up.

“Log flume! Let’s go!” Jim’s excitement is catching and you laugh as he pulls you in the direction of the water ride. The line is quite long, full of like-minded people looking for a quick way to cool down, but the wait goes quickly enough as you chat together. As you near the front of the line, you start getting splashed by people in the boats as they float by the barriers you’re waiting beside. It’s mostly just small splashes, a few droplets here and there, but a large guy in one of the boats manages to direct a fair bit of water over the barrier, hitting you in the back of the head and over your shoulders. You let out a yelp of surprise and leap forward, nearly stomping on Jim’s toes as he automatically reaches out to catch you and laughs at the shocked look on your face, similar gasps and yelps from people nearby echoing around you.

“It’s so cold compared to the air!” you gasp, laughing as you peel the wet parts of your hair off your neck. You ascend the stairs to the ride, as you’re almost to the front of the line, with Jim a step behind you.

“What’s this?” he asks suddenly, reaching out to trace something on the back of your shoulder. You glance down at what he’s touching, trying to repress a shudder of pleasure at the feeling of his touch, and see that the outline of your tattoo is visible under your white cotton shirt, which has gone somewhat transparent from the water.

“Oh, it’s just my tattoo,” you say, as the ride operator opens the gate to the ride and beckons you forward. 

“It looks familiar-” he starts to say, but you don’t really catch the words, because you’ve just turned and tugged on his hand to get him to move.

“Come on! It’s our turn!” He follows you, looking slightly perturbed, but you are too excited about the ride to think about it much. You carefully get into the boat that’s rocking in the water, holding tight to Jim’s hand for balance. He sits behind you, and two strangers behind him, and then the boat is off and creeping forwards. You lean back against him a little as the boat angles up the first hill, your heart pounding with excitement and just a little bit of fear, because that’s a big hill coming up, and this ride doesn’t have any restraints.

You scream as the boat plummets down the hill, then continue screaming as you are deluged with the large splashes of water raining down on the boat. Everyone is laughing, and by the time you’ve gone down the second hill, you are absolutely drenched. You climb out of the boat with difficulty and stand there waiting for the others, trying not to giggle, holding your arms out as water drips from your fingers. You can see that the others have wet splotches on their legs and shoulders with damp hair, but otherwise fairly dry.

“Next time, you are sitting in the front,” you giggle as the two of you exit the ride. You are soaked to the skin pretty well everywhere but your back, and you look up at him once you’re clear of the stairs, expecting smiles and teasing about how soaked you are. His face, however amused, also has an expression of some other emotion. Surprise, or perhaps even shock seems to be the closest you can think of as you look at him. Your laughter fades and your own expression changes, growing concerned, a bit worried.

“What? What’s wrong?” you ask him. “Are you hurt? That ride can be kind of bumpy…”

“No, I’m fine,” he says quickly, shaking his head with a smile. “It’s just… your tattoo.” His fingers trail along your shoulder again, and you look down slowly, seeing that it’s quite visible beneath your sodden shirt now. 

“My tattoo?” you ask, confused. Why was he asking about your tattoo? Your mind has drawn a blank. Most people you know have stopped asking to see each other’s soulmate tattoos, knowing that the odds of finding each other are miniscule, despite frequent daydreams to the contrary in the teen years. He leads you to a quieter spot nearby, in the shade underneath a tree where there’s an empty bench.

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it before. Could you take your shirt off?” His voice is soft now, and there’s a seriousness in his tone that makes you certain that he’s not joking. Breathing a little faster now, you peel the soaked shirt from your skin and drape it over the bench beside you. You’re about to move your hair but he beats you to it, reaching out and sweeping the wet strands gently to the side, making you shiver as they trail across your skin.

You slip the strap of your purple tank top off your shoulder enough so he can see the design clearly, turning your head to look at him as you do so. You register the shock in his eyes as he stares at it, then traces the design with his finger on your bare skin, making you shiver again. You don’t dare to hope that he actually recognizes it. You curse internally as hope fills your chest anyway, biting your lip nervously as he gazes intently at it.

“Is… is it what you thought it was?” you ask after a moment, your voice hushed, struck by the look in his eyes. “Have you seen it before?” There is a long pause, and when he speaks, his voice is as hushed as yours.

“Every day of my life.” You can feel shock slowly starting to creep through your body as the meaning of his words sink in, as he turns his back to the midway. Your eyes follow the movement of his hand as, as though in slow motion, he pulls up the hem of his t-shirt up to his pecs, revealing the tattoo over his ribs. You let out a soft noise of astonishment and feel your knees weaken as the shock of seeing that tattoo – your tattoo – right there on his chest hits you hard. There’s no doubt that it’s the same; despite the fact that yours is on the back of your shoulder, you still know it intimately well. The strokes of the design match yours exactly and you stare, reeling in silence, your mouth slightly open.

You have no idea what to say, so you take a wobbly step forward and reach out, your hand shaking as you touch his damp skin, your finger lightly tracing the familiar design in wonder. You feel him shiver at your touch and it shakes you out of your trance. You look up at him, then back at the tattoo, your hand slowly falling back to your side, unable to think of what to say. Your mind is briefly transported back to the days when you’d dreamed about it in high school, looking at a picture of your own tattoo and memorizing the design, with the romantic hopes of spotting it one day, preferably on your crush of the week. As you’d gotten older, you’d realized that the chance of finding that one person in the billions of people on earth was so tiny that it was practically impossible, and you’d decided to go about life assuming you’d find love the way most people did; by trial and error. The sight of your tattoo on his chest, on the chest of someone you know, someone you actually have feelings for, leaves you awash in awe and wonder and a fleeting sense of disbelief, despite the visual evidence before you.

He slowly lets his shirt fall back down, though you still stare at the spot where it had disappeared until he reaches out and puts a hand on your arm. You look up at him, and see that he’s smiling now, the shock subsiding from his eyes and clearly being replaced by joy. You’re still unable to speak, smiling weakly back at him as he looks down at you, that gentle, small smile curling his lips. He looks deep in thought (you imagine you can’t be the only one that’s shocked by this) despite his uninterrupted gaze into your eyes, and you can’t help but notice just how blue his eyes are. Like cerulean, ocean blue. They’re mesmerizing. You watch them as they flicker back and forth between your own, hypnotized as the jumble of shock, disbelief and euphoria collide in your brain. Because you’re already looking into them, you don’t miss the way his eyes suddenly light up and you haven’t even finished thinking about why that could be before he’s starting to lean closer to you. You inhale a little sharply as your heart leaps in your chest, wondering if he’s about to kiss you, excitement tinged with nerves coursing through you.

Instead, he takes your hand and clasps it tightly in his, tugging slightly, clearly indicating that he wants you to move.

“Come with me,” he says, speaking for the first time in minutes. “Let’s go on the ferris wheel.”

You stare at him for a moment, dumbfounded. Of all the things you’d been imagining him saying first, ‘let’s go on the ferris wheel’ was really not one of them. You barely remember to grab the shirt you’d abandoned on the back of the bench and drape it over your arm as he begins to lead you away.

“O-okay,” you say, your voice a bit tremulous. Your thoughts race in your head as you let him pull you along. He hasn’t said anything else and doesn’t seem inclined to speak, though when you look at him, he appears quite happy. Had you imagined the joy in his eyes? Was he just too shocked to talk about it yet? Why the ferris wheel? You’d think that Jim Kirk, adrenaline junkie, would want to go on something a little more exciting to let off some of the shock. But no, he’s pulled you right to the ferris wheel, and when you look up at him again after joining the short line, you can see that he looks quite excited.

Still a bit confused but happy to go with the flow, you follow him up the stairs and into the gently swaying seat of the wheel. The operator closes the restraint bar over your hips and then the wheel is moving, stopping every after every ten seconds or so of movement to let more people on and off. Jim takes your hand as you begin to ascend, and you smile as your fingers slip between his, the feeling already incredibly natural and familiar. You look around for a moment, enjoying the view as you get higher and higher into the sky, then turn your head towards Jim when you’re almost at the top, your thoughts becoming a little too loud in your head. You’re intending to ask him outright what he thinks about all of this, whether he’s happy, whether he even believes in all of this soulmate stuff in the first place, but the words die in your throat as you catch the look in his eyes. He had been looking at you even while your head had been turned, you’re sure of it, and there’s an expression of admiration and excitement in his eyes. The unexpected affection in his gaze throws you for a loop and you stumble over what you wanted to say, words coming out without your volition.

“Jim, do you-” You pause as the ride starts to move again, startling you a little and distracting you. It stops again, and you realize you’re at the very top of the wheel now, the park stretching out in every direction around you, the azure expanse of the sky above, though the blue of the sky is nothing compared to those eyes boring into yours. You struggle to regain what you were going to say, but stop as he turns to face you as best as he can in his seat and puts a hand gently on your cheek.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” he breathes, and his voice is a bit hoarse, thick with anticipation, his thumb stroking your cheekbone. Your breath catches in your throat as he leans forward, your eyes fluttering closed as his lips touch yours. His hand slips from your cheek to your neck, making you shiver as a breeze simultaneously ruffles your hair, and you feel goosebumps erupt down your arms. His lips are soft and gentle, he smells amazing, and you swear even your toes are tingling as the world seems to freeze around you, narrowing to nothing but his wonderful touch.

The moment is broken a just a few seconds later as the ride begins to move again, startling you enough that a gasp escapes you and you clutch the bar and his hand as your stomach leaps into your throat. He chuckles, stroking your hair as you let out a nervous giggle, the cart swaying back and forth as the ride stops again. You look at him as he looks back at you, and you can tell he’s trying to gauge your reaction, perhaps wondering if he’d gone too far, kissing you already, but you smile after a moment and shake your head slightly, your smile widening into a grin.

“That was the most romantic, yet incredibly cheesy thing that has ever happened to me,” you tell him, though you’re unable to hide the pleasure and amusement in your eyes.

“Oh come on, that was classic!” Jim says with faked indignance, grinning at you. “It works like a charm! The guy always gets the girl after this scene,” he teases as the ride begins to move again and you creep down the other half of the circle. 

“This isn’t a movie, Jim,” you say, but you’re laughing. You squeeze his hand as the last couple of people get on the wheel and the actual ride begins, moving smoothly and slowly at first, picking up a bit of speed as you soar into the air again, the breeze starting to dry your hair and clothes. You’re about to lean on him when he releases your hand and puts his arm around your shoulder instead. Pleased, you shuffle closer and lean against his chest, watching the world go by, neither of you speaking. After a few moments, you close your eyes instead, allowing yourself to just feel: feel the breeze making your hair flutter around your face, feel his warm arm around you, feel the soft fabric of his t-shirt under your cheek. Your mind is on what you’re feeling, but also lingering on how much you’d loved that kiss. You can still feel the residual touch of his lips on yours, and you’re already longing to feel it again. You smile, your eyes still closed, as it occurs to you that with any luck, he’ll probably be kissing you again very soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! <3


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